Peyton Manning and the Broncos are favored to win the AFC West again. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

The Broncos have a new coaching staff and lost a handful of key players to free agency this offseason, but they’re favored to capture their fifth-consecutive AFC West title.

Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook posted odds to win every division, and the Broncos are the 5-12 favorite in the AFC West, followed by the Chiefs (7-2), Chargers (9-2) and Raiders (25-1).

Westgate earlier released its 2015 regular-season win totals, and the Broncos are posted as one of only five teams to expected to get double-digit wins. But Denver is posted to win only 10 games, two fewer games than last season.

Below are the odds for each division, followed by the season win totals:

After the Broncos’ AFC West-clinching victory over the Chargers on Sunday, Terrance Knighton, the Broncos’ ever outspoken defensive tackle, told the Post’s Mark Kiszla that the Broncos would be the ones hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in February.

“It doesn’t matter what happens. At the end of the year, we’re hoisting that trophy,” Knighton told Kiszla.

“I don’t care if New England doesn’t lose again. I don’t care where we have to play. I don’t care who our opponent is. We’re not going to be satisfied until we hoist that trophy. So if we’ve got to go to New England (in the playoffs) and win somewhere we’re not used to winning, we’re going to make it happen.”

Chargers tight end Antonio Gates (85) makes a catch for a big gain in Week 8 against the Broncos at Sports Authority Field. (AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post)

Earlier in the season, Julius Thomas admitted that he watches film of the game’s other top tight ends each week, examining what works and what doesn’t for them, and looking for new things to add to his own repertoire. Rob Gronkowski. Jimmy Graham. Jason Witten. You name ’em, Thomas has studied them.

But there’s one, he said Wednesday, who stands out more than the others. One he’s studied more closely over the years and one who has a similar background.

“I’ve watched (Antonio) Gates probably more than I’ve watched any other NFL football player ever,” Thomas told The Denver Post after the Broncos’ practice Wednesday. “One thing I think he really does well is he sets up his defender. When you watch him and you really pay attention to it, you see that he’s working to win his route before he even heads in that direction. A lot of the stuff he does is he changes speed, and some people say his change of direction, that’s when you’re in the route. But I look at his change of speed throughout the route — how he’s making the defender believe one thing and doing another thing. Or he won’t allow the defender to be sure of what he’s doing because of his pace, of his stride length. I think that he’s one of the best players in the game of creating separation.”Read more…

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BRONCOS DRAFT CB BRADLEY ROBY IN FIRST ROUND
The Broncos filled one of their greatest needs Thursday by selecting highly skilled but troubled Ohio State cornerback Bradley Roby with the No. 31 pick in the first round of the NFL draft. In terms of talent, some NFL scouts believe Roby was among the best cornerbacks in this draft. He has good size (5-foot-11, 194 pounds) and is fast (4.34 seconds in the 40-yard dash). Although Broncos general manager John Elway said Chris Harris would remain the starting right corner opposite Aqib Talib, the plan is for Roby to come in on nickel situations. Roby would then play the boundary, or outside corner while Harris would move in to the nickel, or field back.— Mike Klis, The Denver Post

BRONCOS MISSED OUT ON MARQISE PLAYER
On a draft night when the theme was stopping Peyton Manning, the Broncos drafted defense when they took Ohio State cornerback Bradley Roby. Was Roby the best player available? No way. Denver drafted for need. With Manning 38 years old, there is no tomorrow. The Broncos need to win the Super Bowl. Now.

If you ask me, clearly the best player available when the Broncos selected at No. 31 in the first round was Southern Cal receiver Marqise Lee, who has Pro Bowl potential.— Mark Kiszla, The Denver Post

JOHNNY MANZIEL PLUMMETS TO BROWNS AT NO. 22
What seemed like days after the Texans took pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney with the first pick of the NFL draft Thursday night, hours after the Jaguars selected quarterback Blake Bortles third overall, and minutes after the Cowboys grabbed lineman Zack Martin at No. 16, Manziel sat and sipped. Johnny Football became Johnny Free Fall. After multiple bottles of water, Manziel was taken by the Browns with the 22nd pick. They traded into that slot. “It was tough,” Manziel told the NFL Network of his 2-hour, 48-minute line to the podium. “There was a little bit of anxiousness, a little bit of nervousness. I will pour my heart out for this team.”— Troy E. Renck, The Denver Post

AFC WEST BEEFS UP DEFENSE OF PEYTON MANNING
The Raiders, benefitting from the Bills move up to fourth to snare wide receiver Sammy Watkins, selected linebacker Khalil Mack in the fifth spot. … The Kansas City Chiefs, a surprise contender last season, chose defensive end Dee Ford of Auburn. … San Diego chose a player that might have been a Bronco. Many mock drafts had Denver linked to TCU’s Jason Verrett.— Troy E. Renck, The Denver PostRead more…

Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning walks off after Seattle Seahawks outside linebacker Malcolm Smith intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown during the second quarter of the Super Bowl on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2014. (AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post)

YOU WOULD BE FORGIVEN, BRONCOS FAITHFUL, if you couldn’t even muster getting out of bed Monday morning. If nightmares haunt you for days and weeks, in replays of what was on Sunday, you’re probably even excused for Tuesday. This is your Broncos Insider Newsletter:

“On the biggest stage in America, before more than [111 million] television viewers, in arguably the greatest live event in the world, the Broncos imploded.

“They were destroyed by the younger, more energized, rougher, tougher Seattle Seahawks.” http://dpo.st/1nGjh5n

QUOTABLE: “The hardest part is we’re going to have to go back and watch that game again on film. We’re not looking forward to that. I wish I could have found that play that would have taken us out of that spiral,” — Adam Gase, Denver Broncos offensive coordinator on Monday morning, via Mike Klis in Jersey City, N.J.http://dpo.st/1elkNau

“THERE WAS NOT ONE PLAY GASE COULD HAVE DEVISED,”writes Klis. “If a play worked, there would be consequences. Demaryius Thomas set a Super Bowl record with 13 catches. His left shoulder hurt so bad the morning after, he needed help rolling his bag to the luggage cart. Linebacker Nate Irving hobbled through with a boot around his left ankle sprain. Running back Knowshon Moreno walked through with a stiff back. Middle linebacker Paris Lenon and guard Louis Vasquez had sore ribs.” http://dpo.st/1elkNau

Philip Rivers of the San Diego Chargers celebrates as he runs off the field after the NFL wild card playoff game Sunday. (Andy Lyons, Getty Images)

This one comes via Twitter from @danlewismedia, and the answer is five, including this season, which has seen the AFC West’s Broncos, Chiefs and Chargers all make the postseason. That answer comes with one caveat, though: I’m just looking at seasons dating back to 2002, when the NFL broke each conference into four divisions from three.

Here are the other instances:

2006 season, 2007 postseason: The Eagles (10-6), Cowboys (9-7) and Giants (8-8) all made the playoffs out of the NFC East.

2007 season, 2008 postseason: The Colts (13-3), Jaguars (11-5) and Titans (10-6) all made the playoffs out of the AFC South. The Cowboys (13-3), Giants (10-6) and Redskins (9-7) all made the playoffs out of the NFC East. The Giants, the first wild card, eventually won the Super Bowl.

2011 season, 2012 postseason: The Ravens (12-4), Steelers (12-4) and Bengals (9-7) all made the playoffs out of the AFC North.

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Although the NFL schedule doesn’t typically come out until April, now that the 2013 AFC division winners are finalized, the Broncos know all of their 16 opponents for the 2014 season and where they’ll be playing them.

Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles runs against Oakland Raiders cornerback Charles Woodson during the second quarter of an NFL football game in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Dec. 15, 2013. (Ben Margot, The Associated Press)

Remember way back to oh, say, a month ago, when the Chiefs’ offense was mediocre and the defense was Kansas City’s only hope?

I do, but barely.

Clicking around looking at stats Tuesday, I noticed something kind of jarring: After their 56-point afternoon in Oakland on Sunday, the Chiefs have now scored 399 points (28.5 per game), good for third-most of any NFL team this season. Chicago is second, with 406, and if Kansas City keeps up this clip, it could be the second highest-scoring team in the league by the end of the season.

When the Broncos beat the Chiefs on Dec. 1, it went a long way toward shoring up the AFC West. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

Sure, the Broncos clinched a playoff berth on Sunday by virtue of their win over the Tennessee Titans, but that was just the first step in the team shoring up its January schedule. This weekend, Denver has a chance not only to clinch the AFC West, but also to lock up a first-round bye.

To clinch the division, the Broncos must beat the San Diego Chargers on Thursday, and the Kansas City Chiefs must lose to the Raiders in Oakland on Sunday.

To clinch the first-round bye, both of the above must occur, and the Cincinnati Bengals must lose to or tie with the Steelers in Pittsburgh on Sunday.

Peyton Manning and the Broncos could clinch a playoff berth Sunday — if a lot of things go right. (Denver Post file)

Yes, to many of you, the Broncos making the playoffs is a foregone conclusion. The question is not if, but where — where they’ll stack up, that is, at the top of the AFC West as a No. 1 seed, most likely, or as the No. 5 seed and a wild card.

Mathematically speaking, though, Peyton Manning and company have yet to secure their playoff berth, and they can this weekend if just one of the following five rather complex scenarios transpires:

Welcome to “ohmygosh, what’s wrong with Peyton?!” week. It’s been a blast. The long and short of it: his ankle is a little gimpy, but he’s playing on Sunday. Here’s a look back:

Monday: After returning from San Diego, the Broncos held their normal Monday availability. Jack Del Rio discussed Sunday’s game, and exactly zero offensive players who actually play showed up in the locker room.

Broncos defensive end Robert Ayers almost gets a block on a Chiefs field goal last season. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

If you’d said two months ago that a 7-1 record halfway though the season wouldn’t be enough to earn the Broncos the lead in the AFC West, people might have thought you were crazy. Still, here we are, with the 8-0 Chiefs leading the division and the 4-3 Chargers plenty in the mix. Even the Raiders, at 3-4, are just a game below .500.

Through Week 8, the AFC West has a combined 22-8 record. That’s good for a .733 winning percentage. Last season, the division combined for just 26 wins on the season and a .406 winning percentage. In addition, the Chiefs, this year’s last undefeated team, were the worst in the entire NFL.Read more…

NFL teams likely will be chasing the Broncos all season (like the Giants chased Trindon Holliday). But for now, the Broncos are looking up in the standings. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

Forget for a second the ridiculousness of talking about this after just two weeks. But since we’ve fielded several questions about this today, here’s why the Broncos are not atop the AFC West in the NFL standings.

In fact, here’s why the Broncos are the sixth-best team in the AFC standings…

Despite their 2-0 record and complete dismantling of their opponents, the Broncos rank 21st in the NFL in points allowed. Of course, Denver is giving up points because Peyton Manning’s offense is scoring so quickly and frequently. The Broncos rank first, by far, in points scored. Their 90 points are well ahead of No. 2 Green Bay with 66.

But between a 21st ranking in points allowed and ranking first in points scored, the Broncos’ combined ranking is 22nd.

As if the Broncos don’t have enough mojo going already, it’s as if Voodoo dolls of AFC West rivals are being poked with pins (perhaps by someone with New Orleans Voodoo knowledge and acclaimed accuracy??).

Twitter almost broke when the Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles suffered a foot injury at practice — but new coach Andy Reid said the X-Rays came back negative.

KANSAS CITY — Not even Mike Shanahan and the 2008 Broncos can blow this lead.

Thanks to Norv Turner’s Chargers allowing a fourth-and-29 conversion late in the fourth quarter to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday evening, the Broncos have extended their AFC West lead to five games with five games remaining.

This time next week, Broncos players will be off enjoying their bye week.

Though how much they will truly be enjoying the time off will depend on how they play Monday night in San Diego.

“If we get this win going into the week off, it’ll make us a bit more comfortable,” said wide receiver Demaryius Thomas. “If you lose, you go off and you’ve got stuff in your head about, ‘You could have done this’ and ‘You could have done that,’ and you also have them leading the division.”Read more…

Nicki Jhabvala is a Broncos beat writer for The Denver Post. She was previously the digital news editor for sports. Before arriving in Denver, she spent five years at Sports Illustrated working primarily as its online NBA editor. She also spent two years as a home page editor at the New York Times.